Merri railway station

Merri
Building on platform 1 in May 2014
Location	Railway Street, Northcote
Coordinates	37°46′40″S 144°59′35″E / 37.7778°S 144.9931°ECoordinates: 37°46′40″S 144°59′35″E / 37.7778°S 144.9931°E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	South Morang
Distance	8.04 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus Tram
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Other information
Status	Unstaffed station
Station code	MER
Fare zone	Myki zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	8 October 1889
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Rushall toward Flinders Street South Morang line Northcote toward South Morang

Merri railway station is located on the South Morang line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of Northcote, opening as Northcote on 8 October 1889, and was renamed Merri on 10 December 1906.^[1]

The original conception of the station was to act as a major junction in a planned "North Suburban Railway System". The Argus reported in 1887 that; "The Station at Union-street, as shown on our plan, must necessarily be the most important in the Northern System, as lines branch from this point to Preston and Whittlesea on the north ; Heidelberg, Kew, &.c., on the east; Carlton, Royal-park, North Melbourne, and Spencer-street on the south-west; Fitzroy, East Melbourne, and Flinders-street on the south; and if the alternative route is adopted, Clifton-hill, Collingwood, Richmond, and Flinders street on the south east.",^[2] while land sale plans advertised the upcoming construction of the "Grand Central Junction Station".^[3]

The station building was rebuilt in 1910, to accommodate an increased population in the area.^[4]

The nearby level crossing at Charles Street had hand operated gates until 1924, when they were replaced by a single gate operated from the nearby signal box, following several serious traffic accidents.^[5] These gates were replaced with boom barriers in 1987.^[6]

Platforms & services

Merri has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' South Morang line services.^[7]

Platform 1:

• South Morang line: all stations services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

• South Morang line: all stations services to South Morang

Transport links

Moonee Valley Coaches operates one route via Merri station:

• 506: Moonee Valley Junction - Westgarth station^[8]

Yarra Trams operates two routes via Merri station:

• 11: West Preston – Victoria Harbour (Docklands)^[9]
• 86: Bundoora RMIT – Waterfront City (Docklands)^[10]

References

1. Merri Vicsig
2. The Argus 9 December 1887
3. "Fitzroy Junction Estate" land sale advertisement 1887
4. Darebin Heritage Study 2000 - Merri - Northcote
5. The Argus, 13 Nov 1924
6. Merri Mark Bau's Website
7. South Morang Line timetable Public Transport Victoria
8. Route 506 Moonee Ponds - Westgarth timetable Public Transport Victoria
9. Route 11 West Preston - Victoria Harbour Docklands timetable Public Transport Victoria
10. Route 86 Bundoora RMIT - Waterfront City Docklands timetable Public Transport Victoria

External links

• Melway